Erin Napier Teases HOME TOWN’s ‘Best Episodes Ever’
By Movieguide® Contributor
HGTV stars Erin and Ben Napier love their new HOME TOWN Season 7 episodes. They told USA Today why—because they renovated the Old President’s House at their alma mater, where they first met.
“’These are some of our best episodes ever,’ Erin, 38, says excitedly, beside her husband and renovation partner Ben, 40. For their 100th episode, airing Feb. 4, the couple lent their design expertise to what Erin calls their biggest renovation to date, a 5,000-square-foot downtown loft,” USA Today reported.
“But our favorite episode is…our origin story, our love story, where we met,” Erin continued. “And that’s super-special, and there’s a surprise at the end of the episode that’s overwhelming. We’re not having a baby. That is not the surprise.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Ben and Erin’s love story:
“On December 7, 2004, I woke up in my dorm and went to class like any other Tuesday. In a yearbook meeting, it had been decided by the staff that we would write 10 articles for the book on the most interesting people on campus. The first choice was unanimously Ben Napier, and as design editor, I said ‘I can be there for the photoshoot if I need to be. It’s no big deal.’”
…The pair met at the yearbook office, where Ben immediately hugged her, requesting a “two arm” hug.
“For the first time I noticed how very big he was—6 feet 6 inches and nearly 300 pounds,” she wrote. “I felt as small as a bird. I could smell the laundry detergent he used, his cologne, and I melted. 6 days later we decided we would get married.”
The pair visits Jones College every year on the anniversary week of when they met. They do all the same things they did that first week. They eat lunch at the cafeteria, have cheese sticks from Sonic and ride in an old car to check out Christmas lights at the park.
The couple’s love story and college renovation episode will air on HGTV on Jan. 21.
Country Living shared details about another episode that is special to the Napiers—a home makeover for a couple who used to teach Erin at school.
“They were both my teachers when I was little, the husband and wife, and to see that, I just see them so differently now. They’re such vulnerable, normal adults to me now, and at the time they were the teachers,” Erin said.
The impact of the Napiers’ work in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, goes beyond thoughtful home makeovers for old friends, families and alma maters.
The Napiers helped “rescue” Laurel with their renovations.
“Today, thousands of tourists come to Mississippi’s ‘Mayberry’ every year to see the people, places and events showcased on HOME TOWN,” WSJ reported last October. “As a result, most of the downtown storefronts are now occupied or being restored. The unemployment rate sits at 4%, down from 7.1% in 2016. Revenue from both sales taxes and tourism taxes far exceeds 2016 numbers, and residential property values are increasing.”
Even Laurel’s mayor, Johnny Magee, says the town flourished because of the show.
“Everything happening positive now is a direct result of that show,” the mayor said. “As the show progressed, we saw lines outside our restaurants, people walking the streets again. It has been an amazing thing. People are coming from all over the country hoping to catch a glimpse of Ben and Erin in town.”
